Karen Levingston Franklin

I have worked across both private and public sectors throughout my career, starting with the bail system, then McDonald's Corporation, and ultimately retiring from the City of Houston government after 28 years of service. At the City of Houston, I served as a contract compliance expert, managing small federal programs and leading the outreach team for the programs I put out there. While building my public sector career, I founded the World Youth Foundation 36 years ago, where I serve as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. This global mentoring leadership program supports families and students, and we just celebrated our 36th year as of April 1st. As CEO, I manage our entire internal and external team of roughly 50 people, making connections with public and private partners, ensuring compliance with our compliance team, program excellence, operational strategies, and fund development. I am very analytical, I love to learn, and I love results. Whether I was working with the bail system, McDonald's, or the City of Houston, those areas really touch everything, and that transitioned me into the philanthropic space where I love supporting families with dynamic teams of volunteers, being a part of impact results, and ensuring individuals achieve while succeeding.